Fifth Third to Hire 1,000 Staff to Help COVID-19 Response

Fifth Third Bank has announced plans to hire almost 1,000 new staff to help support retail banking customers through the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The bank said the new positions would “provide essential banking services to customers and offer new career opportunities for those searching for employment during economic hardship”.

Roles are available across 10 states in which Fifth Third operates – Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina – and include positions in retail banking, mortgages, and operations. Wages start at $18 an hour.

“Our Fifth Third customers and communities need us more than ever during these uncertain times, and we will continue to be here for them," said Greg Carmichael, chairman, president and CEO of Fifth Third.

“I’m proud of the extraordinary service our employees are providing each day. We are looking to grow our team of professionals to serve these needs and to help provide critical employment opportunities so our communities can get back to work again.”

A large number of roles have switched to remote working across Fifth Third’s operations, although some branches remain open for appointments. Staff in these branches are being given a bonus payment of up to $1,000, the bank said.

“We continue to take good care of our employees so they can continue to take good care of our customers. Now more than ever, our customers are counting on us to provide them with the financial expertise and essential banking services necessary to navigate uncertainty.”

US banks have continued to pledge support to local communities and non-profits as the pandemic’s effects on economic activity hit home.

The Bank of Hawaii’s charitable foundation has donated $3 million to the Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Hawaiʻi Resilience Fund, set up to address the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 across the islands.

The donation will fund medical equipment, support food banks, and provide low-cost financing to small businesses and families facing financial hardship.

American Express has partnered with the Hilton hotel chain to provide up to 1 million hotel room nights for frontline medical professionals across the US.

From next week, the rooms will be made available for free to medical staff that need to isolate from their families while working in hospitals and healthcare facilities. The rooms will be available until the end of May.

Morgan Stanley has donated $250,000 to support the Child Mind Institute’s COVID-19 response initiative, which aims to help children, parents and caregivers with “clinical expertise and evidence-based best practices in mental health”.

CIT Group in California has provided financing to two fashion companies making and distributing face masks. Proceeds from sales go towards donating masks to hospitals and healthcare facilities.

Barclays has set up a charitable foundation with an initial £100 million ($123 million) to provide a “community aid package” for charities supporting vulnerable people. The donations are primarily aimed at the UK market but Barclays said it would also support efforts in other markets in which it operates, including the US.